


Bark of Darkness

by crossroadswrite



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Basically, Derek and Stiles are Neighbors, Fluff, M/M, Puppies, Sterek Week, and cute boys who blush a lot, this is a fic about puppies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-26
Updated: 2015-10-26
Packaged: 2018-04-28 04:41:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5078206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crossroadswrite/pseuds/crossroadswrite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles falls in love on a Sunday morning.</p>
<p>He elbows Scott and points. “Who’s that?”</p>
<p>Scott looks over his shoulder and frowns, eyes cruising through the people circling around the room they’re in.</p>
<p>“Which one?”</p>
<p>“The one with the gorgeous brown eyes and black hair?”</p>
<p>Scott looks upset. “Kira? Stiles you know Ki-“</p>
<p>“What? No! The puppy Kira is holding. Look at those ears Scott. They’re so cute. Do you think I can go pet it?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bark of Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> *makes bad puns*

Stiles falls in love on a Sunday morning.

Scott has dragged him to the local shelter to see if they’re in need of volunteers when Stiles sees the love of his life walking through the doorway and in that moment it’s like all the angels sing and the stars align.

He elbows Scott and points. “Who’s that?”

Scott looks over his shoulder and frowns, eyes cruising through the people circling around the room they’re in.

“Which one?”

“The one with the gorgeous brown eyes and black hair?”

Scott looks upset. “Kira? Stiles you know Ki-“

“What? No! The puppy Kira is holding. Look at those ears Scott. They’re so _cute_. Do you think I can go pet it?”

Scott opens his mouth but Stiles doesn’t give him time to answer, pushing himself off the wall he had boredly been leaning against and bounding towards that little ball of floppy ears and waggling tail.

“I’m gonna pet it!”

The pups sees Stiles approaching and barks excitedly, paddling and wriggling and trying to get away from Kira’s grip and that’s how he knows they’re fated to be.

“Hey gorgeous,” he coos.

“Oh hey Stiles,” Kira greets, trying not to drop the puppy she’s holding and then seeming to give up holding it out to him. “Wanna hold her?”

Stiles beams and grabs the puppy, scratching it softly under the chin.

“What’s her name?” he asks, bringing the puppy up to his face and beaming when it yips and licks him.

“She doesn’t have one. Someone dropped her off outside Isaac’s door and zoomed off and Isaac can’t take in any more pets so he brought her over.”

“She up for adoption?”

Kira grins at him. “Sure is. Want to help me give her a bath?”

Stiles cuddles the love of his life to his chest and nods.

«»

“Dad, come on! She’s adorable, look at her?” he pleads, shoving his phone in his father’s face so he can see exactly how adorable little ‘Ness is.

His father sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I said no when you were five and could still throw tantrums and pout, what makes you think I’ll say yes now?”

“It’s just for a couple of weeks,” Stiles reasons. “It’s just until I can get settled and move all my stuff from the dorm room to my apartment and then I promise I’ll get her off your hands.”

“Stiles. No. I’m a police officer, I barely spend any time home. I can’t give that puppy the care it needs, not even for two weeks. She would go on a bender and destroy my house.”

Stiles pouts. “Come on, Dad. Do you really want to leave her all alone in that shelter with all those big scary dogs? Little ‘Ness couldn’t take it. She’s too pure for the slammers, Dad.”

“You named her? Stiles, you can’t name a dog that isn’t yours.”

Stiles huffs. “Sure can, got everyone in the shelter calling her that and everything. It’s adorable and it suits her.”

“’Ness would suit any dog.”

Stiles rolls his eyes because his father obviously doesn’t understand anything. “’Ness is just a diminutive.”

That gets him a raised eyebrow.

“Her full name is Darkness Stilinski and she’s the purest little ball of fluff to ever touch this earth.”

His father sighs and shakes his head. “The answer is still no Stiles. You can wait a couple of weeks to get the puppy, just tell the people at the shelter to not let anyone adopt it.”

“I never thought you would stand in the way of my happiness Father,” he intones and gets cuffed upside the head for his troubles.

«»

So Stiles tells the guys at the shelter (read: Isaac) to pretty please with a cherry on top not let anyone adopt Darkness and just give him a couple of weeks to get his shit sorted out so he can come and get her and they can both run off into the sunset.

Isaac agrees, even if begrudgingly and Stiles is so beyond himself with happiness that he almost kisses him right there and then.

After talking with Isaac, he makes sure he goes to visit ‘Ness and gives her pets, assuring her that he’ll be coming for her as soon as he can.

She yips and nibbles on his fingers.

«»

Stiles is moving three boxes into his new apartment when he meets one of the lost goods of Ancient Greece.

“Are you alright?” Handsome Stranger asks, catching one of the boxes that slipped from Stiles’ carefully constructed Jenga pile and hovering a hand worriedly over Stiles’ waist to steady him if need be.

For a couple of seconds Stiles just stands there, lips slightly parted and staring and he must look like a total creeper because Handsome’s eyebrows start scowling at him and he shuffles a step or two backwards.

“Sorry, um. No, yeah I’m fine. Thanks for the help, I wouldn’t want my dil-“ he stops midsentence, realizing that maybe telling a stranger he’s currently holding your sex toy collection wouldn’t be the best of introductions.

“Thanks,” he repeats.

“No problem. In which floor do you live? I can help you carry your stuff so you don’t kill yourself.”

Stiles grins. “ _Rude_. But thanks. I’m just moving in to the third floor.”

Handsome nods. “Same as me then.”

“Cool,” Stiles nods. “I’m Stiles, by the way.”

“Derek,” Handsome Derek supplies.

“Pleasure to meet you Derek.”

«»

He’s just came over from visiting ‘Ness when he catches Derek glowering at a bombshell of a woman on his doorstep.

“No,” Derek is saying. “I don’t need a dog, Erica. I’m perfectly fine by myself.”

“Don’t be sour, Derek. We both know you get lonely in here all by yourself and we’re tired of walking in to see you moping around the couch and reading sad poetry.”

“I don’t-“

“Yes you do. We’re about to stage an _intervention_ and you know how seriously Kira takes interventions. So choose: either start dating or get a dog.”

“A dog wouldn’t-“

The woman in front of him makes a high pitched frustrated sound and turns to Stiles just as he manages to get his keys in the lock.

“You!” she calls out, pointing directly at him. “Random citizen! True or false? Dogs make you overall happier and less lonely?”

Stiles glances at Derek and gives him a little apologetic smile. “They do,” he answers truthfully. “I’m getting one in a couple of days, just getting everything ready for her.”

Erica makes a little ta-da gesture towards him. “See! Here’s proof. And you can even have doggy play dates with your cute neighbor!”

Derek’s ears go pink and Stiles decides that that’s a great time to retreat back into the safety of his apartment.

“I’m going now,” he says.

“Thank you random citizen!” Erica shouts after him.

“You’re welcome!” he shouts right back.

«»

In the end he never knows if Derek decided to get a dog or not, but in the end it doesn’t really matter (even though going out with Derek under the pretense that it’s for the socially wellness of their puppies would be nice) because he’s going to pick Darkness up today and take her home with him.

And it’s going to be awesome! Because she’s the cutest, most loving and charming little puppy he has ever laid his eyes upon and he loves her to bits.

“Someone came by earlier today and adopted her,” Liam tells him, like such news didn’t just shatter Stiles’ entire world.

“What do you _mean_ someone adopted her?”

Liam shrugs. “Isaac was the one who took care of it.”

“Isaac,” he hisses and looks wildly around because when he finds him he’s going to _throttle_ him. There will be nothing left to feed the dogs.

He doesn’t find Isaac because apparently the little shit had bailed early, but he does find Scott and when he does he just kind of- explodes into a sad mess because Darkness was his little pup and it was taken away from him by stupid fucking Isaac and he’s going to _murder him_ slowly and creatively.

“It’s okay, bro.” Scott tries to console him. “Maybe one day you’ll meet her again.”

«»

Stiles is being a sad sack of cake batter on his couch when he hears it. Soft and muffled but _there_. A tiny little yip and he knows that bark, call him insane but he knows what Darkness sounds like.

He shoots up and strains his ear and there it is again. The little overly excited yip of the love of his life.

“Shh girl, you’re going to wake up the entire building,” he hears another voice coach and _ohno_. Ohno he didn’t!

Stiles throws himself over the back of the couch and crashes through his open door, one finger pointed accusingly at his next door neighbor who is, indeed, holding Darkness by a leash.

“You!” he accuses.

Derek looks mildly stunned, eyebrows confused and ‘Ness starts barking madly, straining against the leash to get to Stiles and ah _see!_ She loves him best!

“Me?” Derek asks.

“You! That’s my dog.”

“No, this is my dog. I just got her from the shelter.”

“Yeah! Because Isaac is a little bitch who can’t keep a promise. I was going to get her today. I’ve known her for weeks Derek. _Weeks!_ We have a bond, okay!”

Derek gives ‘Ness a little leash and she immediately skids through the hardwood floor to meet Stiles, nipping at his legs and trying to reach his fingers, begging for attention and Stiles, because he’s been a sucker for her since he saw her, leans down and play wrestles her down, distracting her with tummy scratches.

“See!” he demands and Derek is frowning down at them.

“Goddamnit, Isaac,” Derek sighs and he must feel pretty weird about standing there holding onto ‘Ness’ leash because he comes closer and sits down on the floor in front of Stiles.

“I’m sorry,” Derek starts and he sounds awkward and uncomfortable and Stiles feels bad for putting him in this position. “Isaac, he’s one of my closest friends and he must’ve heard me talk about you and made the connection when I went to get her.”

“You talk about me?” Stiles raises his head, surprised by this development.

Derek blushes and looks away, muttering, “You’re pretty cute.”

Stiles blushes. “Oh. Well. You’re pretty cute too.”

And now they’re both blushing and looking away and Darkness whines between them, stumbling between one and the other, begging for attention.

“Sorry again. For stealing your dog.”

Stiles shrugs. “It’s fine, we can get to an agreement.”

Derek raises an eyebrow and looks mildly suspicious.

“Like what?”

“I should get visiting rights,” he starts. “And I’d like to walk her at least once a day and also maybe a date in the park would be nice.”

“A play date for her or-“

“Or a date with you. Yeah.”

Derek smiles down at ‘Ness. “Okay. Sounds good.”

“Cool. So what do you say? Wanna go take a walk and have some coffee?”

“Now?”

“Yeah. I got my dog stolen today, I think spending a little time with the two cutest things I’ve seen is the least I deserve.”

Derek blushes three different shades darker and reaches for ‘Ness like he needs something to do with his hands and says, “Well, I guess spending time with the two cutest things I’ve seen shouldn’t be that much of a hardship.”

**Author's Note:**

> i'm trash but puppies like trash so that's okay


End file.
